2014 World cup host cities - Fortaleza, Brazil

About:

With population of about 2,5 million people Fortaleza is the capital city of the Brazilian state Ceará. Located in Northeastern part of Brazil, Fortaleza is the fifth largest city in the country.  Discovered in 1500 and founded as a village in 1726, Fortaleza is one of the popular tourist destinations with its 34 km/ 21 mi of wonderful beaches.
Before start to travel to Brazil check my post - 6 things to know, before you travel to Brazil.
Fortaleza - Brazil
Fortaleza - Brazil, Foto: Portal da Copa

Location

Fortaleza is situated in the north-east part of Brazil, on the Atlantic Ocean coast and occupies an area of 313 sq. km. (121 sq. mi.).

Climate

Fortaleza has a tropical climate and average temperatures of 23º C / 73 °F - 31º C / 88 °F. The rainy season is from February to May and the dry one, between July and December.

How to get there

  • by air
Pinto Martins International Airport is located just 8 km /5 mi from the city center.
The taxi to the center will cost you about R$ 30 (USD 13.5). Another transport option to get to downtown is to catch buses:
404 – Airport-Benfica-Rodoviária
066 – Paramgaba-Papicu-Airport
027 – Siqueira-Papicu-Airport
Fare is R$ 2.20 /  USD 1.
  • by bus
The main bus terminal is close to the airport and it takes about 25 minutes to get to downtown and about 15 minutes by bus 404 to the airport. There are buses to the most parts of the country (via connections).

How to Get Around

Tourists in Fortaleza usually go to the most attractive part - Beira Mar, which is basically the sea side. If you prefer do discover the city by bus, you will have no problems to do it, because there is good public transport network. The ticket price for buses is R$ 2 / USD 1.
Taxis in Fortaleza have stickers on the rear windows, displaying the fare, so avoid those which don’t have such information displayed.

World cup 2014 Stadium location 

Castelão Arena (Estadio Castelao) was completely refurbished for the World cup and now it has almost 59 000 seats. Located just 7 km /4 mi from the airport, the stadium is easily accessible.
To get to the stadium, you can take bus number 666.
Group stage
Match 7
14.06.14 – Uruguay - Costa Rica
Match 17
17.06.14 – Brazil - Mexico
Match 29
21.06.14 – Germany - Ghana
Match 38
24.06.14 – Greece – Côte d'Ivoire
Round of sixteen
Match 51
29.06.14 – 1B – 2A
Quarter-Finals
Match 57
04.07.14 – W49 – W50

Where to Stay

Most of the accommodation options in Fortaleza are located east of the centre in the Dragão do Mar. Tourists prefer to stay along Iracema beach, Mereiles and along Avenida Beira Mar up to the Mereiles area.
There are however some hotels near to the Arena Castelão:

Where to Eat

Fortaleza cuisine offers  Ceará is Baião-de-dois , churrasco , feijoada , tapioca and some other typical dishes for the Northeast of Brazil and of course seafood. Most of the restaurants in the city are located around Varjota - along Rua Fredrico Borges and its side streets.
Some good restaurants and bars:
Voinilo  – a fish restaurant;
Coco Bambu – Brazilian cuisine;
La France – rich selection of dishes and good wines;
Parque Recreio – open air restaurant, which offers barbeque;
Forró do Pirata – for dance lovers;
Santa Clara Café – café.

 What to do and what to see

The city has several urban beaches, which attracts lot of tourists:  Praia do Futuro, Praia de Iracema, Meireles, Aquiraz, Caponga, Beberibe. There are a lot of opportunities for water sports (scuba diving, Surfing, Kite, and Wind Surfing) and sand buggy rides.
You may also visit Dragão do Mar Cultural Centre, Museu de Arte e Cultura Popular, city Cathedral, Museu do Automóvel (car museum), Fortaleza Central Market  and to see the sunset from Ponte Metalica or Praia Iracema. In addition there are a lot of festivals during the whole year in Fortaleza.

Comments

  1. Best tips to Fortaleza trip
    Hi, I am Newton, a Fortaleza resident, and as I use to travel around the world, I would like to help you, who is coming to the world cup, to enjoy this nice city during your stay
    I saw many comments about where to stay, what do do, to eat, but some of these tips are not good. If you really want to feel satisfaction, follows some sugestions:
    WHERE TO STAY:
    Fortaleza is not a place where you will find luxury on the hotels, but they are clean, with a good space, very good breakfast (try TAPIOCA, CAJÁ JUICE)
    - Tops - GRAN MARQUISE, LUZEIROS, MAREIRO, MARINA PARK
    - Medium but good ones – QUALITY, BEIRA MAR HOTEL, MAGNA PRAIA
    - Medium, nice, but not in front of the beach – BLUE TREE, CONFORT
    Outside of the city you will find the best ones:
    - Vila Galé Cumbuco (avoid confusion with Vila Galé praia do futuro)
    - Dom Pedro Laguna
    - Carmel Aquiraz
    and
    - Beach Park resorts
    WHAT TO DO:
    Go to the beaches! The best swimming ever! Water temperature is very confortable!
    - Cumbuco – Look for Velas do Cumbuco, or stay at Kariri beach hotel (day use) – There you can take a buggie to the dunes (30 minutes from the city) and kite surfing
    - BEACH PARK – MUST TO GO! – The best water park in Brasil with a very nice beach and service (35 min from the city)
    - PRAIA DO FUTURO – In the city – Look for the mega barracas (big facilities at the sand) – Look for CROCOBEACH, ITAPARIKÁ, (but there are many others good options)
    If you have time, try discover the real beautiful beaches like:
    - Icaraizinho de Amontada (2 hours by car) – GO TO THE VILA MANGO HOTEL – So nice!!!
    - Jericoacoara – (4 hours by car) - Many options to stay
    - Flexeiras – Some good options and the best place to kite surf
    - Lagoinha or Prainha (35 minutes from the city)
    - Canoa Quebrada (1:20 hour from the city)
    Dance!
    - Mucuripe club
    - Pink Elephant
    - Parties with FORRÓ (comes from the expression “For all”) – Look for FAROESTE
    - Arre Égua (FORRÓ)
    To watch the matches and dance:
    - MUSIQUE
    WHERE TO EAT WELL!
    - COCO BAMBU (Everything you want)
    - COLHER DE PAU (Regional food)
    - COCO BAMBU FRUTOS DO MAR (Sea food)
    - SOHO (Sushi)
    - KAZUMI (Sushi)
    - VOJNILO (Sea food)
    - D`ABELLE BISTROT – (Gourmet) – Very good option!
    - SANTA GRELHA (Barbecue A la Carte) – Satisfaction garantee
    - CABAÑA DEL PRIMO (Barbecue A la Carte)
    - MURANO (Barbecue A la carte)
    - NAPOLI (Italian food)
    - VIGNOLI (Best Pizza)
    - BUTECO (Finger food)
    - THE BURGER IS ON THE TABLE (Burgers)
    - CARAVAGGIO (Italian food gourmet)
    - NEW YORK NEW YORK (Near Beach Park)
    - LA FRANCE (The place is simple, but the lobster is the best!)
    - BOI NEGRO (Barbecue rodizio)
    ICE CREAM
    - SORVETERIA 50 SABORES, (50 FLAVORS ICE CREAM FACTORY – Try Tapioca flavor, or a fruit flavor)
    - SAN PAOLO (Hummmmm!. Try Leite Ninho)
    DRINK
    - Spirit - Try Caipirinha or Caipirowska with a kind of fruit (Lemon, strawberry, Kiwi, Tangerine)
    - Soft - Agua de Coco (Coconut water), Cajá juice, Mango juice
    WHERE TO SHOP
    - Clothes and shoes – Monsenhor Tabosa, or at the shopping malls like IGUATEMI, DEL PASEO, ALDEOTA
    - Hand crafted – MERCADO CENTRAL, or near the hotels, FEIRINHA DA BEIRA MAR
    CAUTION!
    - Please pay attention when cross the streets! – See if the car really stopped!
    - Don’t carry expensive goods when you will are with the crowd. No problem in private areas
    - Use taxis, the public transportation here is not bad, but is not good.
    - Emergency phone – 190
    Best regards!!!!!
    njrparticular@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dear Newton , thank you very much for your tips. I'm sure people will appreciate and enjoy the information you provided to us...

    ReplyDelete

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